


Celebrations

by Peskychloe



Series: Sandwiched [7]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: EnnoAka Weekend, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-16 01:45:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11243763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peskychloe/pseuds/Peskychloe
Summary: A holiday in Gretna Green.





	Celebrations

The Old Toll Bar in Gretna Green was once the first place you came to when crossing the border into Scotland. They prided themselves on how many runaway couples they'd welcomed over the years, and had provided accommodation and wedding packages since the first time the anvil was struck.

It was twenty years since Paula and Chris had celebrated their own marriage there, and although it had been refurbished, they were still greeted like old friends by the staff. Each year, they made the pilgrimage over the border from their home in Newark for an anniversary holiday, and their first day, they'd always go for a famous afternoon tea.

The cafe attached to the hotel wasn't grand, but it held a special place in Paula's heart; it was where she'd eaten her first meal as Chris' wife, and although it was only a Scottish breakfast, it had tasted like nothing she'd eaten before such was her joy. Even now she had no idea how a Scottish breakfast differed from an English one, but as she only ever ate it once a year, in this cafe, it wasn't really important.

Paula shook the sugar packet, before opening it and stirring it into her tea. Chris was already halfway through his pot of coffee, and had started on his newspaper, so she took a minute to look around at the other guests. She liked to spot who might be getting married that day, and who was just there on a long car journey and stopping on the way.

The group of five bikers in the corner was easy. She'd seen the motorbikes stacked up outside on the way in, and guessed there was a meet somewhere nearby. They were all digging their way through mountainous breakfasts and buckets of tea.

The couple in the corner, meek and nervous, were almost certainly on their way to their wedding. Her cream dress, with lace on the shoulders, looked freshly pressed, and his hair was still smoothed neatly back. Paula could see a tattoo poking out from under his sleeve, and looking at her face she guessed they were in their early twenties, at the most.

They didn't have the same relief written on their faces she could see on the other man and woman in the corner, who couldn't stop holding hands, even when one of them was trying to pour a drink. She had dark hair, a jewelled blue dress, and a wide, toothy smile. He looked a bit older, but maybe she just looked young because of all the happiness.

There was only one other table occupied, and she couldn't decide what their story was. Two men, in their late twenties, sitting opposite each other, empty plates in front of them. She hadn't seen them arrive, even though they were at the same point in their meal as Paula and Chris.

She could only see the back of one of the men. He was wearing grey jeans and a blue jumper, with dark hair, and was reading the same newspaper as her husband. Every now and again, he'd look up and speak to the other man, who would barely smile back.

He sat facing their table, legs crossed at the knee, and she could see he was scribbling in a notebook. He didn't lift his head much, focusing on what he was writing, but when he did, she could see he had stunningly green eyes, and looked like a model.

She wondered if the man with his back to her was also Japanese, even though they were both speaking English, with Southern accents. Perhaps they were brothers? Or maybe good friends, the groom and the best man, having breakfast together before going to the chapel. They could even be having a joint wedding, she supposed, she'd seen a couple of those before.

'Chris. What do you think?' Her voice was low, and she nodded her head at the two men.

'Hmm?' He turned to look where she was gesturing. 'Oh, you're playing your guessing game.' He smiled at her, he loved this side of his wife.

'Groom and best man? Brothers maybe?' She sipped her tea, and tilted her head to one side, screwing up her nose.

He turned to look again. From where he was sitting, he could see the profile of the man who was still a mystery to Paula. 'I don't think so.'

'Two grooms then? Double wedding?'

'I think you're right about the two grooms. I think they might be a gay couple, though.'

'Oh!' She cursed herself for not thinking that to start with. It was presumptuous of her to assume they were waiting for brides. It reminded her of two years ago when she asked a lesbian couple if they were bride and maid of honour, and felt dreadful for the rest of the holiday. 'You think they're getting married today?'

'Well, they're not wearing suits.'

She nodded to the green eyed one. 'He doesn't look nervous at all. Maybe they're already married.'

'Hmm.' He turned and looked over again. 'The one closest to me looks nervous though.'

'Oh, bless him. Is he Japanese as well?'

'Paula!'

'Well? Is he?'

'Yes, but...'

Paula smiled proudly at herself. She desperately wanted to see if the other man was as handsome as the one she could see, but didn't know any way to see without looking like she was fetishising them in some way, whether for being Japanese or for being gay. Truth was, she just loved seeing people in love, it was one reason they chose to return to Gretna Green every year.

'Chris! Let's treat them! We haven't done that in a while.'

He lowered his newspaper and smiled at her. 'You want to pay for their breakfast?'

'Yes! Please, can we?'

'Of course. Shall we leave now, quickly, before they ask for a bill?'

'Yes! Oh, thank you, honey.'

Chris walked over to the counter, and started explaining to the waitress what he wanted to do, so Paula slipped out of the door quietly and into the courtyard.

She peered through the large windows, found the table they were sitting at, and got a good look at the other groom. His face was slightly rounder, his eyes sleepier, and his dark hair was parted on the side and hanging over his forehead.

He was looking at his partner writing in the notebook, and his face was filled with such doting affection, she was sure she would have realised they were a gay couple had she been able to see his face and not the prettier one. Was she allowed to think of him as pretty? He _was_ pretty, she wasn't trying to be rude, she thought that before she realised they were gay.

Chris joined her at the window, and he'd managed to pay for both bills without them being any the wiser. 'Come on, we should leave before they come out.'

'Yeah.' She found it hard to move from the window. They never waited to see the reaction of the couples they bought breakfast for. Usually she liked only imagining the excitement of the couples at learning of their anonymous donor. For some reason, she wanted to see how these two would react. 'You don't think they'll be offended do you?'

'Why would they be offended?'

She was starting to regret the gesture, for the first time. 'Well.. they might think we're patronising them. Like, Look at the cute gay people. I don't want to upset them on their wedding day. I mean, they don't know we do this all the time.'

'Well, why _did_ you choose them?'

She thought for a minute, and resigned herself to the truth. 'Alright! I chose them because they're gay. They just look so happy! I just wanted them to feel someone was on their side.'

'How about we wait over there and if they look upset, we just explain that. And if they don't, we leave.' He took her hand, and led her over to the outdoor table nearest to the door, sitting facing it so he could see when the Japanese couple left.

The wait was nerve-wracking. Paula worried for the whole five minutes, hoping she hadn't ruined someone's wedding day. Chris squeezed her hand, and she knew that no matter what happened, he would say the right thing to cheer her up. He always did.

Then, she spotted the door opening, and the two men walked out, hand in hand, beautiful smiles on both of their faces.

'Well! That was a nice surprise,' the sleepy eyed one said, 'First wedding present.'

'We're not even married yet.' The prettier one's voice was lower, she had to strain to hear him.

The other one looked at his watch. 'You still have two hours, ten minutes, if you want to change your mind.'

They were almost past the point where Paula could still hear them, but she knew what she needed to know already. They weren't offended by the gift. She could leave and be happy for the rest of the day.

'We still need to find witnesses.' He stopped walking and turned around, looking over the courtyard. His eyes rested on Paula, and she felt like she'd been caught out. 'Hey, hello?'

'Who are you talking to?' the other one was asking.

'There's a couple there.' He waved, and this time Paula couldn't stop herself waving back. 'Hello!'

They started walking over to where Paula and Chris sat, looking at each other with trepidation. None of the couples they'd ever bought breakfast for had spoken to them before.

The two men stood in front of them, still holding hands. The green eyed man held out the hand not holding his partner's, and Chris and Paula took it to shake in turn. 'Sorry to bother you, but we're getting married today, and we don't have any guests.'

'Oh, no, really?'

The other man laughed. 'Oh we did it on purpose, don't be sorry!'

'Sorry, I should have introduced us. I'm Keiji, and this is my fiance, Chikara.'

Paula and Chris said the names a couple of times to check the pronunciation, and then shared their own names, with more handshaking.

'Is there any chance you'd be our witnesses?' Keiji said. 'We'd buy you dinner afterwards as a thank you.'

'Oh we could do that! I'd love to do that.' She turned to Chris. 'We can do that, right?'

Chris laughed. 'Of course. But we don't need bribing, it would be our pleasure.'

'Where are you staying?' Chikara asked.

'Right here! We got married here twenty years ago.'

'For real?' He turned and beamed at Keiji. 'What are the chances! This is a great omen, right?'

'Yes, my love.' He turned to Paula and Chris. 'We're staying at Greens, and have a table for four booked this evening. We'd love you to join us, it's no problem.'

'Oh because of the gardens!'

'I'm sorry?' Chikara asked.

'The Japanese water gardens at Greens!' Paula was giddy with excitement.

'Paula!' Chris nudged her.

'Oh!' She held her hands to her mouth. 'Oh, I'm so sorry. Was that racist?'

The two men laughed, and Chikara put a hand on her arm. 'You're adorable. No, not at all. That's one reason we stayed there. The restaurant was the other. Keiji is a chef, one of his friends works there.'

He nudged Chikara. 'Not just works there, he's head chef. So the food will be phenomenal, Tobio is excellent.'

'And the best man! Sort of.' They laughed again at some shared joke.

'What time is your wedding? Shall I wear a suit?' Chris was asking, ever practical.

'Oh no, please don't make extra effort, you both look lovely. Come as you are!' Paula was already especially fond of Chikara's enthusiastic manner, and couldn't believe their luck at getting to join in on a stranger's wedding. She'd often dreamed of being asked to be a witness while on holiday at Gretna Green, and it being an important anniversary was a nice coincidence.

'It's at one o'clock. We'll go back and get our suits on, and meet you back here at... twelve thirty? That OK?' Keiji was more business like in his manner.

'Wonderful!'

Keiji wrote his number on a page of his notebook, and passed it over to Chris, just in case, and then the two of them walked away, talking excitedly to each other. Paula watched, fondness overwhelming her; Chikara was hanging on Keiji's arm, and at one point actually jumped in the air.

Paula looked at her husband, frowning. 'Why do some people think gay people shouldn't get married?'

'I really don't know, treasure.'

  


*

  


A photograph hung in the hallway of Paula and Chris' house, in amongst their other cherished photos; wedding photos, ones of their children growing up, the one of their eldest daughter going to her high school prom, and as the years went by, ones of their grandchildren joined them. But she never removed this one she treasured.

People often asked why it hung there, it seemed so out of place, but Paula would proudly tell the story every time anyone asked.

It showed two Japanese men, one in a white suit, one in a grey suit, with matching ties in bright cerise. They stood behind an anvil, printed with the words 'Gretna Green Old Smithy', sitting on a tree stump with an axe stuck in it. The one in the grey suit had brown eyes, the one in white had green ones, both sets of eyes existing only for each other in that moment, as if no one else was in the room.

But there were two other people there; standing either side were Paula and Chris, wearing their casual clothing. Paula had made an effort with her hair, putting it into a twisted bun while they waited, adding a bit more eye make-up, and she'd forced Chris to buy a tie from one of the local shops. Paula was sniffling into a tissue, Chris smiling widely. None of them were looking at the camera, despite the photographer trying to persuade them to.

Each year, the two couples sent cards to each other on their shared anniversary. Paula still had all of them in a drawer, somewhere. On their thirtieth anniversary, no one sent cards, however.

Instead, they all ate a Scottish breakfast together in the courtyard of the Old Toll Bar Cafe, with a couple of bottles of champagne instead of a pot of tea; a large ginger dog called Inu was curled up under Chikara's chair, eating the scraps of bacon he fed to him under Keiji's reproachful gaze.

No one ever found out the true difference between an English and a Scottish breakfast, but Paula always thought Scottish breakfasts were superior anyway.

  


 

 


End file.
